ComedySportz World Champion Tournament of Improv July 18th-July 21st

ComedySportz Chicago is proud to host the greatest ComedySportz players from the United States and Europe as they challenge each other for the title of the 2012 ComedySportz World Champion. Nineteen teams will face off for this winner-takes-all tournament of improv comedy, Wednesday, July 18 – Saturday, July 21 at The Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave.

The event, which is in Chicago for the first time since 2001, features nine shows over four nights – each show is a different set of matches or exhibitions. The full schedule of matchups is available online at http://25yearz.com/schedule/ times are Wednesday, July 18 – Friday, July 20 at 8 and 10 p.m. and Saturday, July 21 at 6, 8 and 10 p.m. The Saturday 10 p.m. performance is the championship bout.

Ticket prices are $25 per show and festival passes may be purchased for $150 (includes admission to all shows, plus preferred seating.) To purchase tickets visit www.athenaeumtheatre.org, call 773.935.6875 or visit the Athenaeum Theatre Box Office located at 2936 N. Southport. For more information on the Championship visit www.25yearz.com.

The ComedySportz form of improv comedy is a sport begun 28 years ago in Milwaukee. Three years later, it expanded to Chicago and today ComedySportz is played in 21 cities across the U.S. and Europe. The ComedySportz clubs, who are all members of the World Comedy League, gather each summer to compete for the title of World Comedy Champion. More than 170 improv comedians are expected to come to Chicago this July to compete in this hilarious and action-packed championship event. For fanz of red and blue ComedySportz teams everywhere, this four-day event is a must-see.

For newcomers to ComedySportz, this championship will be the best possible introduction to the art and sport of short-form improv comedy – where audiences challenge the players with suggestions for short scenes, songs and games in some of the Western world’s fastest and funniest shows. Each show includes two matches of two teams each, except for the Saturday, 8 PM show (which will include one two-team match and an exhibition match); and the Championship Match on Saturday, July 21 at 10:00 PM (which will include two teams). ABOUT COMEDYSPORTZ CHICAGO One of Chicago’s longest-running improv comedy shows, ComedySportz has been performing continuously in Chicago since the summer of 1987, and has called 15 different venues in the area its home. Currently, the show’s home base is The ComedySportz Theatre, a 137-seat venue located at 929 W. Belmont, between Clark Street and Sheffield Avenue. In addition to its six ComedySportz performances per week, the theater hosts another six comedy shows weekly, some of which include guest artists in sketch, improv and stand-up comedy; and the popular Saturday morning kids series, which introduces young people to classic stories told through the techniques of improv. The theatre also hosts hundreds of private shows for youth and other groups each year. ComedySportz also provides improv-based corporate and college training workshops, and a touring company that brings the ComedySportz show into businesses, schools and private parties.

The ComedySportz Training Center offers professional training in improv techniques for aspiring performers and anyone else seeking to develop the benefits of improv training.

ComedySportz of Chicago, Inc. is locally owned and operated. It is an independent licensee of the World Comedy League, Inc. ComedySportz Chicago presents the 2012 ComedySportz World Championship Wednesday, July 18 – Saturday, July 21 at The Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave. The event will feature nine shows over four nights – each show is a different set of matches or exhibitions. Performance times are Wednesday, July 18 – Friday, July 20 at 8 and 10 p.m. and Saturday at 6, 8 and 10 p.m. The Saturday 10 p.m. performance is the championship bout. Ticket prices are $25 per show and festival passes may be purchased for $110 (includes admission to all shows, plus preferred seating.) To purchase tickets visit

www.athenaeumtheatre.org, call 773.935.6875 or visit the Athenaeum Theatre Box Office located at 2936 N. Southport. For more information on the Championship visit www.25yearz.com. To learn more about ComedySportz Chicago visit www.comedysportzchicago.com.